Kidney Function

You should speak with your physician about your interest in transplantation, and obtain further information about the success of transplantation, types of donors and the complications of transplantation. You should also seek a willing donor among your relatives, and discuss the type of donor, living related or cadaver you would like with your family and physician. You can assure family members htat a physician will not accept a kidney from a living donor if they believe that there is significant risk to that donor.

If you are to receive a living donor kidney, the following will be arranged and completed prior to transplant:

• tissue typing from both yourself and the potential donor
• full donor workup or medical evaluation
• periodic physical examinations by the local nephrologist or transplant center
• blood tests and X-rays (other types of tests may also be required)

If you are receiving a transplant from a cadaver, the following will be completed before your name is placed on a waiting list:

• you are tissue-typed and the results are placed in a computer with other names on the waiting list
• a tube of blood serum must be sent regularly from the dialysis center to the tissue-typing laboratory for sensitivity screening
• periodic physical examinations, X-trays and blood tests are ordered

Also, the hospital or dialysis center must be assured of your whereabouts by receiving the telephone numbers and addresses so that you can be reached in the event a kidney becomes available.

If a Cadaver Kidney Becomes Available

You will be notified when a potential kidney becomes available. Once notified, you should stay close to a phone to receive information on the time of hospital admission. Arrangements for traveling to the hospital should be made and you will probably be told not to eat or drink anything in preparation for the surgery. You may need to be dialyzed before the surgery depending upon when you were last dialyzed, your blood chemistries and your general medical condition.